March 20, 2008

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The recent coverage of Rev. Jeremiah Wright has often cast him as a marginal, almost fringe figure, but Trinity Church is a major Chicago institution, and Wright has long been a prominent pastor on the American scene.

"I have been on quite a journey these last few weeks to get to the end of this, to the rock-bottom truth of where I am," Clinton said in his most emotional and dramatic statement since the affair with Lewinsky became public. "I don't think there is a fancy way to say that I have sinned."

Agreeing with his critics that he was not "contrite" enough during his initial Aug. 17 statement, Clinton said, "It is important to me that everybody who has been hurt know that the sorrow I feel is genuine. First and most important, my family, my friends, my staff, my cabinet, Monica Lewinsky and her family and the American people. I have asked all for their forgiveness."

His comments were the first time the president has publicly apologized to Lewinsky. Clinton went on to describe the journey he has been on during the weeks since his first public admission, saying that he has finally repented.

"I have repented," Clinton said. "I must have God's help to be the person that I want to be. A willingness to give the very forgiveness I seek. A renunciation of the pride and the anger, which cloud judgment, lead people to excuse and compare and to blame and complain."

UPDATE: The New York Times later this evening posted the same photograph and said it had been provided by the Obama campaign. And here's a screenshot of the photo on the anonymous blog, before it was removed. Curious things, these anonymous blogs.

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well, it doesn't mean much, just an Obamas connection doesn't mean much. But it is funny whenever Clinton tries to take a shot at Obama that person is invariably linked backed to them...Rezko, Wright, Canadian consul.

One, this is a funny irony. But two, let's face reality: Wright is not some demonic figure. He has done much good in his life, and people of all races would find most of his preachings to be very inspiring, uplifting, and non-controversial. His only "sin" was criticizing America; granted, in many respects, he went way overboard. But he represents the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of the US. Some people have this attitude that any criticism of our country is a blashphemy, when criticism is very much a part of the American value system.

Thank you Ben
There are more photos on that blog and commendations for Rev. Wright... It's time to get the story right, Wright has controversial views, but he's a marine and a patriot and he earned the right to make his statement.... And oh btw, he's NOT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT

Man, Bill seems to know all sorts of interesting people. First the picture with Rezko, and now this? Hopefully this will blunt the stupidly extreme levels this story has reached, even though there's nothing really wrong with this picture.

Why didn't the Clinton campaign release this photo at the same time as they were providing the media w/Jeremiah Wright video? Because they are not capable of honesty. I bet you though, that of all the religious leaders in the room that day, Jeremiah Wright was probably one of the few who wouldn't have uttered condemning words of the former President.

If I hadn't had just had sex with my wife earlier, I'd have said that that's the beautiful thing I've seen all week. Let's see the Hillarybots explain away this one. Thanks for posting this, Ben. Maybe you aren't a total shill after all.

This picture is just photographic proof that Jeremiah Wright is a well respected Pastor. It's not like he was hiding from his sermons, he has them for sale on the churches website.
I would like to hear about this supposed secretive church Hillary belongs to "the Family" or whatever, assuming of course it's not some crazy CT.

PRICELESS. I would bet a million dollars that Rev Wright, in his 40 year ministry, have met with hundreds of other high-level politicians. Since this was a mega-church(roughly 8000 or so members), it was visited by many pols. Most likely, he toned down the rhetoric when they were in the pew. Which proves that Wright is flawed, and neither politicians(nor anyone else) should be judged by their pastor's words.

Where are the democratic party elders during this time of mudslinging and attacks by the conservative right ? Regardless of which democratic candidate anyone supports, republicans are attacking, belittling, and destroying the reputation of a democratic candidate. It's horrible what the conservatives are doing to try to destroy Barack Obama. It's pathetic that party elders like Pelosi, Edwards (where the heck IS John Edwards?!), Kennedy, and Gore haven't come forward to defend Obama. It makes me so sad that the party elders are standing by and letting Obama be attacked this way, and I can't believe more prominent democrats are coming to his defense, coming to the party's defense, as I know Obama would do if he witnessed such attacks on other fellow democrats. Where are our party elders when we really need them ? Please step in and help put a stop to this madness, to this smear campaign !

When Ted Haggard was exposed....?
Haggard, 50, was appointed president of the evangelicals association in March 2003. He has participated in conservative Christian leaders' conference calls with White House staffers and lobbied members of Congress last year on U.S. Supreme Court appointees after Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement.
Were his actions projected onto the congregation? Was the congregation guilty by association of buying meth and having a gay adulterous relationship?
No.
So then if this Preacher's direct actions didnt negatively stain the judgment his congregation over which he pastored for 20 years...or skew perception of 'white churches' in general...
or discredit the judgment of the National Association of Evangelicals for which he was elected President over 45,000 churches...
or ruin the White House for whom he lobbied Supreme Court Justice Nominees...
then why do you think the opinions of Obama's former pastor are being held over Obama's head like they are HIS sins?

Wright has been so thoroughly demonized the news that comes about him from here on, I would think, can only be positive. I've been surprised there have been no defenses of him in any media outlets this whole time. I mean, he can't be the complete evil person he's been made out to be.

These damn libruls--biirds of the same feather wouldn't you know. :) Telling you man, before Nov. we gonna be investigating a lotta pastors. Guess who's got more 'vangeliculs in their corner? Thats right. Know what they say? Well you will. With Youtube, yes we can.

I think it's a ridiculous cause to equate the two. Obviously Clinton has been in contact with several leaders, some of which are not so rosy. Oh my gosh he's taken a picture with Kim Jong Il! Clinton is secretly a communist!'. It's a silly thing to mention.
Taking a picture with someone, is not on the same playing field as supporting someone's preachings for 20 years. The same goes for Obama's ridiculous analogy that Ferraro's comments are on par with Wright's.

In general: Ben you do a great job. And those who claim you (or new boy Avi) have a tilt are a bit off base. You posted this and you posted a picture of Obama and Rezko man-hugging and ... you interest is in the news. Bravo.
Thornton: Reevaluating is good, but I think this is more about texture and nuance than it is about "inconsistency" as you say. I am an Obama man, but not an Obamabot ... and I would just remind you that there's plenty of honkey tonk for conservatives to feast on with the Clintons. They've been to that buffet, let their food settle, and will be happy to go back for second helpings. No general election will be easy. And that's a good thing.

Why am I not surprised? Politics is a dirty game. I whole heartedly support Barack and I support those institutions that are putting their reputation on the line to stick out their neck for him. Kudos to Malltropolitan.com for show casing his books on their website as well as anything else they might be doing.

Nice try, but Clinton is not a member of the church, nor did he sit there being fed by Wright's sermons for 20 years, and Wright is not his mentor/advisor. Nobody's doubting that Wright has been a prominent pastor.

WOW, great picture of Bill and the Rev. I'll bet that when Bill asked for forgiveness, Rev. Wright was more than happy to give it to him. I feel that Bill and Hillary owe the Reverend their respect for being present at this event to give his support to the President in his time of need.

When were most of Wright's controversial comments made? I know that his most disgusting and offensive comments, described accurately as anti-Semitic and un-American and perhaps by dozens of other epithets, were made following 9/11. Is it not possible that Wright was less controversial in 1998 and that the BILL CLINTON (not Hillary) White House invited a prominent, well-respected, moderate religious leader to a large religious gathering? Everyone who posts should think about specifics like this before jumping to conclusions that denounce Hillary.

... And just in time for March Madness. Smithers hits the half-court bank shot with this one.

Comments like thornton's have me dismayed, to say the least. Like: "he seemed ... to stereotype" with the "typical white" comment. IMHO you're taking this out of context. In the very next sentence you're resting on "essential acceptance of Wright's words". Really? How did you get that? I heard him alternately "reject" AND "repudiate" them. I don't mean to dismiss these perceived "inconsistencies," but I'm honestly having a hard time buying this precisely because you haven't unpacked it.

If we really look at all the candidates Obama is a much more honest candidate compared to the other two
Hillary made sure she tried to hijack Baracks chance of nomination by introducing such a video
But anyway the truth is out there

I'm fairly certain that this proves that Rev. Wright isn't some underground radical that preaches only hate. He's a well respected member of the national faith community who got quite a bit carried away on a couple of occasions. I'm guessing if you count up his "crazy" sermons compared to his normal ones, they will probably amount to less than 0.01% of his overall pulpit time.

I LOVE IT.
Not that it necessarily means anything as the White House has thousands of guests a year, however it shows Pastor Wright was respected enough in the Religious community to be included in such a discussion.
instead of the character assassination hatchet job on Pastor Wright, I wish some news organization would have earned their credentials and did a in depth show on the man, not just air and re-air the 40 ten second sound bytes over and over again.
The man is well respected in what he does, is a Biblical scholar, yet he became nothing more than a caricature and a punchline.

Thornton: whilst you are having another look at HRC, consider the following:
i) She released and fuelled the Somali dress story
ii) She employed dog-whistle tactics by saying Obama isn't a Muslim "as far as I know".
iii) She's now lobbying superdelegates with this Wright stuff
iv) She said before she needed the MI and FL delegates that they shouldn't be seated because MI and FL Dem parties broke their primary scheduling rules. Now she seems to have developed a sudden conscience for the "disenfranchised" voters.
v) If you are planning to buy a house with HRC as president, forget it - with her economic proposals, there will be no mortgage lenders left. The rest of her economic policy is equally stupid.
Aside from that, if you are happy with someone who is so at ease and comfortable with being economical with the truth as president, vote for her.

of course this will never be on foxnews. barack is supposed to be a racist, religious bigot and muslim who went to an extremist madrassa, and who associates with terrorists, and of course, to top it all off, all african americans are lacking in patriotism. this photo doesn't fit the picture. so it won't be there. so yesterday, they decided to link obama with the black panther. THE BLACK PANTHER!!!!!! i urge you all, non-barack obama fans to speak out against them in the name of decency.

And this is where all objectivity (once again) leaves the "Typical" Obama-delusionoids.
This is a picture of Bill Clinton with Rev Wright. Just like there is a picture of Bill Clinton with Rezko.
It DOES NOT MEAN that Bill Clinton went to Wrights america-bashing church for 20 yrs nor that he is Clinton's "spritural mentor"
And btw...Hillary Clinton has always been a strong Methodist.

Let us not forget?Iran Contra and Ollie North allowing cocaine to flow freely into the US, mainly the inner cities via crack for aid to Columbia.
Let us not forget?Tuskegee when the US killed and poisoned black US service men with syphilis to see how its effects would attack the human body.
Let us not forget?.the alarming amount of black service men drafted and killed in Vietnam, due to the fact the rebel fighters fear that they were shooting Buddha?.
Let us not forget?.Slavery, Jim Crow, Segregation?the 1960's,70's. 80's?and on?
Let us not forget OUR support of the insurgents of the 1980 battles between Russia & Afghanistan? Where we gave Millions of dollars to BIN LADIN, trained his army AL Quida and gave them weapons!
Now can you understand some of why Rev. Wright may have been so upset?.why the African American Community may be suspect of this nation?
It has made me SICK listening to all you bloggers speak as if this country is innocent?
They say you get the type of goverment you deserve?
If you are not willing to face up to what has been done?this country will never change?

President Clinton was not a member of the parish of Rev. Wright for over 20 years. Rev. Wright might have been invited to the White House. Would he have been if his sermons were known --- NO, NO, AND NO.... Obama went to the sermons... Apparently, the sermons have made some sense to Michelle Obama from her remarks.

Rev Wright the ex-Marine was not a shadowy person. I am astonished by the way everyone wondering how "Obama sat there for 20yrs" completely ignoring the fact that Obama never hide his relationship, with the Rev. Way back in 2005 he talked of how Rev Wrights sermon "The Audacity of Hope inspired him" It is one of the best sermon any preacher can give. Anyone who wants to know what kind of influence he has had? Read Obamas book, written long before this furore. Only last year Rev Wright was asked about his influence by the NYT which of course trimmed his comments that made him write this "I told you what a dreamer he was. I told you how idealistic he was. We talked about how refreshing it would be for someone who knew about Islam to be in the Oval Office. Your own question to me was, Didn?t I think it would be incredible to have somebody in the Oval Office who not only knew about Muslims, but had living and breathing Muslims in his own family? I told you how important it would be to have a man who not only knew the difference between Shiites and Sunnis prior to 9/11/01 in the Oval Office, but also how important it would be to have a man who knew what Sufism was; a man who understood that there were different branches of Judaism; a man who knew the difference between Hasidic Jews, Orthodox Jews, Conservative Jews and Reformed Jews; and a man who was a devout Christian, but who did not prejudge others because they believed something other than what he believed.
I talked about how rare it was to meet a man whose Christianity was not just ?in word only.? I talked about Barack being a person who lived his faith and did not argue his faith. I talked about Barack as a person who did not draw doctrinal lines in the sand nor consign other people to hell if they did not believe what he believed.
Out of a two-hour conversation with you about Barack?s spiritual journey and my protesting to you that I had not shaped him nor formed him, that I had not mentored him or made him the man he was, even though I would love to take that credit, you did not print any of that. When I told you, using one of your own Jewish stories from the Hebrew Bible as to how God asked Moses, ?What is that in your hand?,? that Barack was like that when I met him. Barack had it ?in his hand.? Barack had in his grasp a uniqueness in terms of his spiritual development that one is hard put to find in the 21st century, and you did not print that.

This explains why Clinton has been quiet on Wright. But, Obama's got the nomination on lock, so this picture is not going to change anything. And, this predates by a few years Wright's controversial remarks anyway.

To the unnamed soul who stated that maybe Wright went "nutty" after this picture was taken - well then that would mean Obama had at that time a 15+ year relationship with this uncontroversial Jeremiah Wright wouldn't it?
Therefore he should denounce and have distanced himself from a man he had known for 15+ years just because he started saying some crazy things later in his life?

Hey Thorton, I'd like to challenge you on something...do you know anybody family or friend that ever used the N word in your presence? And if so, (which only u and God really knows the truth) do you still know that person(s) Come on people, even Obama can make a mistake...I know he didn't mean anything by using the word typical...I've heard white host on these news networks refer to African Americans as "the blacks"...we are not "the blacks" but because we know people make mistakes we don't feed into it. Now, every little thing Obama says the white people are gonna be offended. (notice I didn't say the whites) Is this the world we now are gonna live in until November? Instead of trying to come together, are we now gonna have a racial fight amongst each other? Because frankly I'm getting tired of it. I am a black man that gets profiled often. I don't blame all white people for some's ignorance. But maybe with people like you making statements like yours, I should start putting the blame on ALL white people...doesn't that sound riduculous? My point is, so does your statement...plus, I don't think you were an Obama supporter your just talking trash to make your bias point. Vote Hillary she's the safer way because she's white...SHAME ON YOU THORTON...

Hey! Don't forget Ben and Jerry in VA. Didn't they supply at least 2 Obama Mobile? Fact is that there are many institutions supporting Barack. I don't think Malltropolitan.com really went out of their way to showcase his books. But then I could be wrong. If there are other things they are doing, it would be nice to know. This is not to discount from their effort. I really think though that this might end up making Malltropolitan.com popular amongst the Obamacrats. As for me, I am a Hillary Supporter but would support whoever is the democratic nominee.

Nice try, but Clinton is not a member of the church, nor did he sit there being fed by Wright's sermons for 20 years, and Wright is not his mentor/advisor. Nobody's doubting that Wright has been a prominent pastor.
Good point above by another poster.
AND GUESS WHAT: WE'RE ALL STILL TALKING ABOUT WRIGHT AND OBAMA...SO WHO REALLY WINS?
Obama "the Typical Black Candidate with Typical Stereotypes and Typical Black Friends and Mentors"

Horton --
Any time Hillary mentions anything even remotely about race she is wrongfully called out by the media as playing the race card. I think it was wise of her to remain silent on this. When Hillary was getting heat for what Ferraro said, Obama was the first to jump in and say Ferraro be immediately removed. I do not recall him, at that time saying that we need to understand that Ferraro comes from a different generation and she has a justification for where her comment was coming from.
That was the spiel we got from Obama the other day. There is justification and reasoning behind Wright's way of thinking.
Bottom line is that we need Obama to fight out his own dilemmas and Hillary will fight out her own.

What camp do you think they worked for...Only one camp had previous State Dept Clearance:
DIRTY TRICKS FEAR AFTER STATE DEPT. FIRES TWO FOR UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO BARACK OBAMA'S PERSONAL PASSPORT FILE... MORE... WASHINGTON TIMES SET TO SPLASH THE DEVELOPMENT, NEWSROOM SOURCES TELL DRUDGE REPORT

No matter what the MSM says or does, no matter what the Barack Obama radical Black racists rant, Barack Obama is as dead politically as John Kerry was after the SBV attacks. Add to that the latest polls show even a majority of Black voters want no part of Obama and his nutcase American haters, including his wife Michelle. The Obama POTUS thing ain't gonna happen, thanks to the the young Mr. Obama, who thought he could outsmart the American public. Look for this buffoon to back out of the POTUS race in the next eight to ten weeks. His Rasmussen numbers are terrible. He's toast to the nines.

But how is this earth-shattering? Again distant association has NO comparison to actually being married by the man, having him baptize his children, writing books based on him, etc. Just as McCain/Hagee comparison is just as lousy, this is as well. If Wright was Bill's pastor and every other connection as to Obama there would be an issue. Just as the picture of Rezko and the Clintons is worthless so is this. Being a protege of a racist and having him show up for some dog and pony show are two different things altogether. You nuts attacking Bill and Hillary for hypocrisy need to check the definition of said word first. move along people...nothing to see here.

Ben, I know you are a waterboy for the Obama campaign, but its clear in that Picture that Bill Clinton is not even acknowledging the man, its clear he's one of many people who hands he shook that day. Its also one event NOT 20 YEARS of attending church with the man. This certainly does not help Obama.

Funny..Bill Clinton doesn't even seem to be looking at him although Rev Wright seems to be in awe of Bill.
Typical black man response to being in a room with the super-powerful white man while later typically bashing him (probably for not paying him as much attention as he wanted).

Kind of sheds some light on why Hillary's been so quiet on the whole Wright issue. Bill invited him to the White House during the Monica days. Sweet....Obama may have some baggage but the Clinton's need a 28 Foot Uhaul to carry all of theirs.

Excellent points Courtney S. however nobody wants to have an honest adult discussion about what Pastor Wright said. Everything he said can be argued and defended intellectually, though that might not be what the main stream media wants to hear, or Clintonites or GOP supporters.

And this is where all objectivity (once again) leaves the "Typical" Obama-delusionoids. This is a picture of Bill Clinton with Rev Wright. Just like there is a picture of Bill Clinton with Rezko. It DOES NOT MEAN that Bill Clinton went to Wrights america-bashing church for 20 yrs nor that he is Clinton's "spritural mentor" And btw...Hillary Clinton has always been a strong Methodist.
Posted By: eas | March 20, 2008 at 08:16 PM

See, your key blunder is that you bought into the media's character assassination attempt to turn Wright into a caricature of a black radical. What this picture shows, and what a lot of the rest of us know, is that there is obviously more to Wright than the kooky clips being played 24/7 by the MSM. He was a respected enough member of the religious community to be invited to the White House and converse with Bill Clinton.

Senator McCains Pastor Believes There's a Genocidal Plot against African Americas Too!
It looks like my Pastor isn't the only one who believes that the government has been complicit in plots against blacks in America too. I wonder why this doesn't get as much play. If you closed your eyes they almost sound alike
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMaaDbGgsKA

*PLEASE DO NOT JUST TAKE SOUNDBITES*
When Obama said his grandmother was typical, if you read the ENTIRE sentences he was pointing out that she was not some racist, but an ORDINARY person. PLEASE READ AND THINK CRITICALLY

Oh.. but it IS a big deal... it's decisive proof that Rev. Wright isn't racist or anti-American.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/images/daily/prbreak_091198ap.jpg
Wish we had the full photo of this one... maybe time to ask the Washington Post to search their archives.

My pastor is a southern baptist from mississippi who has one eye and says some of the craziest stuff I've ever heard. Most of think he is bonkers with small moments of elucidation. But hes my pastor. Im not there because I worship him or his ideals, i'm there because I believe in the word of God, the eternal grace of Christ and seek others on a similar journey as myself. It's in the celebration of our diversity that we find community.

I am very disappointed with Obama. His speech didn't do anything to smooth ruffled feathers, and was not very tactful. Here he wants Imus fired for much much less, and he throws his grandma under the bus...so why didn't he walk away fro that racist preacher??? I voted for him in the primary, but I don't think I can vote for him now. And I can't stand Hillary. I guess I am not supporting McCain.

I have never been a Hussein Obama supporter, but I'm informing EVERYONE I know who were going to vote for him about his support of a black racist pastor/church/ideology -- THEY HAD NO IDEA...EVEN WITH THIS ONGOING COVERAGE. They're now going to vote for Mrs. B. J. Clinton, however :(. But hey, it's better than that black racist Hussein Obama.
Posted By: Essedarius Maiestas | March 20, 2008 at 08:17
You're the racist...so sad!

"thornton" seems like something more than the usual Concern Troll. (Very funny, "horton"!)
As the first poster about something the Clinton campaign must have suspected would eventually surface, a photo of Bill and Wright, "thornton" reeks of Clinton/Penn staffer. Read between the lines to see what the latest Clinton message must be. Electability?

They're all hypocrites, including the Rev. He gets invited to the White House, and looks pretty chummy in this pic, and then he turns around and does his whole Bill Clinton "ridin dirty" and "Hillary ain't ever been called an N-----r!" routine?! No one benefits from this but the Republicans.

This whole bru-ha-ha isn't so much about Wright as it is about how Barack Obama handled it. He really tried to fudge last Friday night and it didn't work. On other occasions Obama has also denied, denied, denied and then had to admit. This is a definite character flaw.

HOLY MACKERAL! Explosive revelation for all those wanting to know Barack's secret thoughts in the church pew. Au Contraire, what were Bill and Hillary's thoughts when they invited him to the White House??????? WOW!

look peopel let me break ity down for you white black or what ever we all have people in our families who havve said something dumb or has a warped opinion on an issue. I dont kick my sister out of the house because we dont agree. the semior man in my family may have an opinion we also listen too out of respect to him but the respecfuly twell him he an old coot!!! but on his damn birthday we all still ove him on christmas he still is there with us . so any dam fool knows that evry family has an opinion somem has power in the family sturcture some are more quiet and they quietly dissent with tthe opiinon some of us call out the nut etc etc .. and yes family in church they are part of my family some of my family are nuts but i still love them .. dont be so hyporcritical

See, your key blunder is that you bought into the media's character assassination attempt to turn Wright into a caricature of a black radical. What this picture shows, and what a lot of the rest of us know, is that there is obviously more to Wright than the kooky clips being played 24/7 by the MSM. He was a respected enough member of the religious community to be invited to the White House and converse with Bill Clinton.
Posted By: Savant | March 20, 2008 at 08:33 PM
Sure. You're right, Savant...I bought into the MSM character assasination of Wright.
Wake up, there,pal...Even if you take all the "racist" junk out of his sermons, any pastor that does his little "riding dirty" monologue (with jirating motions) should be as far away from a pulpit as possible and is not to be considered a respectable member of the Clergy. I can just imagine Billy Graham stooping to that level.
I seriously doubt Bill and Hillary were aware of Rev Wright's antics (as Obama has now admitted to). But, to be fair, if Hillary Clinton thinks Rev Wright is a "decent" guy, in light of everything that's recently come out, then I would question her judgement as well.
Typical Savant response...geesh.

It DOES NOT MEAN that Bill Clinton went to Wrights america-bashing church for 20 yrs nor that he is Clinton's "spritural mentor" And btw...Hillary Clinton has always been a strong Methodist.
No it certainly doesn't mean Bill went to his church for 20 years.
Here's what it does mean:
Bill Clinton knew enought about Jeremiah Wright to invite him to the White House, and at a time when the chips were down.
Jeremiah Wright came in Bill Clinton's time of need. He didn't hold a press conference condemning the president's despicable behavior.
When Jeremiah Wright's turn came for tough times, Bill Clinton remained silent because he knew Wright was hurting his political opponent. Even Mike Huckabee and John McCain issued statements or made comments that were human and decent.
Barack Obama, who did attend Wright's church, refused to disavow Jeremiah Wright. Bill, or Hillary, Clinton would have dropped him in a New York minute for the sake of political expediency.
Character counts.

hillary clinton knew this and should have stood side by side with her colleague Barack obama/instead she cowered and gloated about his troubles.
that's why barack obama should be president/he faced the issue square on.
Hillary tried to hide and blame others.
While she's at it she ought to apologize to Gov. Strickland for deceiving him about her aggressive support of NAFTA and using him to get the support of the voters of Ohio whom she and bill helped put out of work. voters of Ohio

I am a Clinton supporter, but am now taking another look at Barack Obama. I am turned off by the way Hillary has handled the Wright situation so far. I felt offended by the way the media defined the man by a few sound-bytes and spouted baseless charges of racism, and Hillary did not rise to Obama's defense. Even Mccain and Huckabee realized that it is ridiculous to fault Obama for his pastors statements. Now that evidence has come to light that Jeremiah Wright came to the Clinton's defense during their toughest times, the least they could do is stand up against this constant misinformation. If she doesn't change her behavior, then I'm going to switch to Obama.
Posted By: Horton | March 20, 2008 at 08:06 PM
-----------------------------
That is very courageous and decent of you. And I am not being sarcastic. This is the first time I have experience a rational thinking person in this whole thing. Thanks Horton.

Republican presidents have been embracing anti-American, anti-minority, anti-Semitic, anti-gay, anti-women, anti-Catholic, etc., etc. right-wing Evangelical and Fundamentalist ministers for decades. These religious bigots have been the advisers and confidants to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and both Bushes. But, the anti-American hate they spew is fine because it furthers the fear-based Right-Wing political agenda. Reverend Wright's only problem is that he isn't Right.

I am a 43 year old white woman, and the first thing I said when I heard Reverend Wright's comments was, well, I hate to say it but it's all TRUE....maybe not poitically correct to put it out there but it really is true!

This last comment by Thornton feels bogus to me. That speech ? or the approach and delivery of that speech ? should serve as a template for political cojones in the future. No more generic, pre-tested sloganeering. Obama's grandmother can handle it, I'm sure. Why shy away from what needs to be said?

All I can say is that we probably haven't seen anything yet. The Clintons have been getting a free ride from the media for the past two weeks.
It's only a matter of time before all of the decit from this campaign alone comes back on them a hundred fold. This is yet another example, NAFTA, them using Rev. Wright to scare superdelegates, her lying about her foreign policy experience, and the big one: her moral outrage over no revotes in Florida and Michigan. Even though she displayed no such outrage months earlier when she said they knew they weren't going to count.
Their only response to Obama pointing out some of these inconstencies is that he's attacking her character. Yet isn't that what they're doing? Saying his words can't be trusted?
So when Obama does it he's a hypocrite not to mention that he's simply bringing to people's attention that the Clintons have lied. Their only response is to try and attack Obama's character. How third grade.

You can't have it both ways. If Obama's critics want to say he's a closet racist. Then what does that make Clintons with Bill Clinton taking a picture with Rev. Wright? Stick to the issues guys not silly undercover accusations with no facts to support them.
Peace and Blessings to All
JBB

Yes, Why didn't Bill and Hillary either denounce this important black church leader when Bill was under indictment, or support him when he was being criticised himself? Looks like a double standard - The Clinton Standard.

Race and Religion in Politics is the Forest for the Trees - its a diversion...Politics is blaming the other guy - or the guy before you.
The Romans called it "creating your enemies"
Man ruins everything he touches.

Race and Religion in Politics is the Forest for the Trees - its a diversion...Politics is blaming the other guy - or the guy before you.
The Romans called it "creating your enemies"
Man ruins everything he touches.

Hey, "thornton":
Your post reads as though it was written by a long-time Hillary supporter/ surrogate. IF you were an Obama supporter, you would not have penned such Penn/Wolfson/Ickes speak.
Pathetic try at further smearing Obama, YOU SAHMELESS HILLZILLA-LOVER!

So what? Are you gonna tell me that Wright was also Bill Clinton's pastor and mentor for 20 years? Come on Obamabots! You are really a bunch of fanatics that do not know how to defened your mesiah's big lies.

I am very late to this party, but re: Thornton and those playing on the "typical" line, did you read the speech? Here is the supposed passage:
"I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother ? a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe."
Obama did not use the word "typical" anywhere in that speech and sure did not refer to his grandmother as typical white.
Read before you smear. Idiot.

This says more about Jeremiah Wright being a hypocrite than Bill Clinton being a hypocrite. Jeremiah Wright has spewed personal, poisonous, and public comments about President Clinton. To my knowledge, President Clinton has invited Jeremiah Wright to a prayer breakfast.
Who seems more Christ-like?

Shame on Bill.
He used this man to cover up his misdeeds and ?atone? for them.
And now when Obama gets in his way, he throws the Reverend under the bus.
Shows you just how much Clinton *really* cares about the black community. just a tool to use.

Hey thornton (March 20, 2008 at 7:47 PM) and Horton (Mar. 20, at 8:06) you are obviously trolling undercover for HRC. There is not a politician out there who does not have a "shady" supporter of some stripe. That Obama is able to extract the good out of that situation and deal with a complex problem in our country that (might be news to you) has not been solved yet speaks of volumes of Obama's potential. I hope Obama wins but even if he doesn't he is the future and he will live up to his promise.

Wright ministers to BJ Clinton - it is uncertain if got a free night in the Lincoln Bedroom or was treated like Client no. 7.
Jesse Jsckson also ministered to BJ Clinton after he spotted Monica's blouse and lied about it. Jesse was able to bring his secretary with him to see how high she could bounce.
Who can you trust in Washington?

I use to suport Brack Obama. But now teh rev Right makes me think that a man who sat in an audience must automatically share the blief of the person he heres speaking. I so think that this realy wud impct on how he wld govrn, mostly because i'm mentally ill.

The blog that Ben notes above show a commendation from LBJ for Rev. Wright assisting in LBJ's surgery. Also there is a more context around the snippets that have looped around in the media. I think if you really see/read/listen to what was actually said during the sermons rather than the sound bites, it is very obvious that this is that kitchen sink tactic by the clinton machine. http://truthabouttrinity.blogspot.com/

I have read the Obamabot's posts, and it is unbelievable how many stupid things they can say. Our country will be seriously in trouble if these people and its leader control the country. These Obamabots are even worse than the neocons and the Bushies. So irrational!!

Jeremiah Wright is hardly the demon the right would have you believe. He is a nationally-known figure in the African American community who gave thousands of speeches and sermons. And his sound-bite comments taken out of context are no less incendiary than what we hear from many fundamentalists and evangelical ministers, (such as Pat Robertson, Bob Jones, Rev. Hagee, and others). And yet notice how our white Republican candidates are not held to the same standard in terms of having to denounce these characters?

Shame on Bill.
He used this man to cover up his misdeeds and ?atone? for them.
And now when Obama gets in his way, he throws the Reverend under the bus.
Shows you just how much Clinton *really* cares about the black community. just a tool to use.

Check out the videos of McCain's minister. Sounds a lot like Rev. Wright. He says that Planned Parenthood is no better than the Nazis and the federal government is funding the systematic elimination of African Americans from society. He claims that 25% of African Americans have been murdreed by Planned Parenthood and it is officially genocide. He said the government treats African Americans no better than animals. Apparently there is much more from McCain's minsiter. I guess there is all kinds of extremisn in America's pulpits; white and black.I wonder if Fox News will run the video loop for the next week the way they did the Rev. Wright clips.

Yes, Wright was there with many other religious leaders. Neither of the Clintons ever sat in a church where he preached. Does anyone think that either Clinton would have set in pew and not walked out if any preacher preached hate as Wright does or called on the God of his religion to dam America?

Senator Barack Obama gave the speech of the decade, at least, yesterday.
Still think he is not tough enough? Not enough experience? Cannot make the hard call?
His opponents have thrown the kitchen sink, and, frankly, the sewer contents at him; yet, Senator Barack Obama has emerged shining and standing above the fray.
This man has proven himself a leader.
You want someone who can out wonk the wonks? Please take note: James Buchanan and Herbert Hoover were both deep in experience and years of government service. The policy experience necessary to good governance can and should be found in a President?s cabinet and advisors.
For my President, I prefer someone who can inspire and lead our great nation to new heights of greatness.
Did I mention he wrote this speech himself?
Just words? Hardly. Far more than this magnificent speech, Senator Obama?s lifetime of work and accomplishments repudiate the harsh rhetoric of his Pastor.

Listen to Clintonians, "this is nothing, nothing, purely nothing." Just like Dustin Hoffman in "Wag the Dog. If this is "nothing" why is it on here and will be mainstream tomorrow?
Not anyone gets invited to the White House. The Clintons now face a what did you know about Wright and when did you know it.
If the Clintons will let go of Obama/Wright, we'll let go of Clintons/Wright. _ Even Steven and Obama 44th president of the USA.

"When were most of Wright's controversial comments made? I know that his most disgusting and offensive comments, described accurately as anti-Semitic and un-American and perhaps by dozens of other epithets, were made following 9/11. Is it not possible that Wright was less controversial in 1998 and that the BILL CLINTON (not Hillary) White House invited a prominent, well-respected, moderate religious leader to a large religious gathering? Everyone who posts should think about specifics like this before jumping to conclusions that denounce Hillary." One of Wright's most beautiful and uplifting sermons was the one after 9/11, despite what the right wingnuts would have you believe. Here is a link, not to entire sermon, but to an analysis of it: http://essence.typepad.com/news/

Sorry some guy but today in one of his interviews with Anderson Cooper, he mugged granny again by calling her reaction as those of a "typical white woman" who had this "inbred" by "society.
What will be left of granny when he gets done.

I am a Hillary supporter but I am now taking another look at Barack Obama. I am turned off by the way Hillary has handled her campaign so far. I felt offended by the way her husband and close friend, Ferraro stereotyped blacks as racist. I feel inspired by his words and campaign of hope. I am now concerned if my judgment that Hillary was the stronger candidate against McCain was correct. I hope the media continues to pursue this Hillary and her dirty dealings in this campaign because I for one still have concerns about the inconsistencies in her many stories and positions.

OOOHHHH ut oh! Gimme a break...so what!!! There's one picture that Clinton met the man, so what! He didnt attend his church on a regular basis and choose to hear his rantings along with his children.....

I think the Clintons should also stand up for Wright's reputation instead of remaining silent.
Wright helped Clinton when he was under attack by the rightwing!
So Clinton should help out Wright now that he's under attack.

"Is it not possible that Wright was less controversial in 1998 and that the BILL CLINTON (not Hillary) White House invited a prominent, well-respected, moderate religious leader to a large religious gathering?" You can't have it both ways. If Rev. Wright were considered so well-respected in 1998 and perhaps did not become controversial until after that time, that flies in the face of all those who accuse Wright of spewing venom during the 20 years of Obama's membership. Now that the tin can has now been tied to the Clinton tail, Rev. Wright's significance has suddenly been diminished.

I hate to say this but the Obama campaign just continues to implode upon itself. First we have the Jeriemiah Wright saga, now we have the John Kerry comments, and the candidate himself saying "typical white people" and then there's Claire McCaskill. Geesh with friends like these...

So what if Clinton took a picture with Wright? Clinton didn't sit through Wright's "sermons" for 23 years, Obama did.Clinton didn't, at first, deny knowledge of the hate-speech, Obama did. Wright is one of many influence peddlars who contributes to the Democrat Party effort, why else would Clinton have welcomed him to the Whitehouse? Presidents take pictures with White House guests all the time. And, after all, wasn't Clinton dubbed "The First Black President" for his friendship to the black constituency? The photo by no means settles Obama's current problem. Obama calculated that he could race to election day before the clock ran out. So much for his timing! For a smart fellow, he's demonstrated very poor judgment. Wright's rantings are sold on CD's in Chicago! Wright is a business all by himself. First, Obama needed Wright to authenticate his blackness,he was raised in Hawaii, not Chicago. What did Obama know of the Chicago "black experience?" He knew and knows about Wright ,and Obama is an unscrupulous political opportunist who actually was vaulted to a Senatorial post via Wright's So. Chicago influence. He gives a good speech off the teleprompter, but who really is he? I say a charlatan, but certainly not presidential timber.

Give you a break, Scott, really? So What? I'll tell ya so what. If Hillary had a 30% shot to steal the nomination, now she has 0%.
It's not Hillary's supporters who decide so what, it's the super delegates. That's so what, you go out early and even lose the NY Senatorship soon, that's so what.

The big news of the nite about Obamas passport records being breached by 3 different people since January wasn't a political trick. These people work for contractors, but no company names yet. Not much mention oFOX.. And now the pic of Bubba with Rev. Wright...These two people are hypocrites with a capital "H", and also seen tonite , the story of Hillary's membershiop in a Capitol Hill group called the Family /The Fellowship. .A Fundamentalist religouds group..Will Sean Hannity report this or the picture? No, he is out, gleefully to destroy Obama...I'd vote for Obama if I had the chance, since we had our primary already. He is being verbally lynched by Sean and others.

I heard Obama's comment about his grandmother being a "typical white person" was taken out of context on that radio show.
Actions speaks louder than words and Obama has shown that he is a uniter, represents America through his heritage and embraces the good and bad of this country.
The hypocrisy though, also is with the Clintons who were looking to Rev. Wright to hear Bill's sins.

This is like a ping-pong match from hell. We can do this back and forth til hell freezes over, meanwhile, Bomb Bomb McCain gets a free ride to the top of the poll. Democrats need to move on, get this primary done and start re-unifcation, attack the right, and not let up until November. JW wright is NOT that big of a deal, the press would like to you believe it is, but it's not...not when they let Parsley and Hagee off scott free. It's disgusting. Democrats are playing right into the hands of the repugs, proving yet again that perhaps it's time for a third party where those of us fed up with Clinton legacy, the in-fighting, the jello spined DNC and reckless egos of state Dems (as demonstrated in Floriday and Michigan).

Wow.
Some guy walked up to Clinton and shook his hand.
What are the chances of that happening to a President at a White House function?
This from the same people that bent over backwards to say that President Bush didn't know Jack Abramoff.

Thats a great picture! I think it hurts Wright and consequently hurt Obama more. I mean the rich white man president invites you to the big house and you still diss him and his wife. C'mon Rev, thats not very generous of you. Bill's not just giving speeches about race, he's inviting people of different races to his house for a nice home cooked meal.

Why have we not heard one reported word from the good pastor in the last week or two? Jeremiah - where are you? What is his take on all this? Is he in Guantanamo or what? I am still for Obama; he is ready to mix with friend and foe. And he loved his cantankerous grandma.

Funny how the church haters came out of the woodwork on Rev Wright. They probably don't get to church themselves more than once a year at Easter and they are soooo holier than thou, they claim so ingenuously that a real patriot would just stand up and shout down a minister in his church... yea right. BTW, Bill and Hillary didn't denounce him either. So there, hypocrites.

I voted for BHO in the Primary and will not be voting for BHO in the GE if he is the democratic candidate. What I found is
Great oratory skills do not in any way, shape or form, equate to experience, good judgment, and strength of character.

Here's a very nice summary of the blogosphere action on Obama's latest gaffe. My grandmother is just a "typical white person" :-) Click on "Recommend this" to keep the article alive.
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/03/obamas-mother-is-just-a-typica.php
P.S: Here's the audio clip. It's also embedded in the article.
http://www.youtube.com/v/SxmEz8H33ZI&hl=en

The right wingnut talk radio gang and their FoxNews comrades got caught with their pants down on this one. They should have done a little more research themselves before jumping off the cliff to save Hillary from the big bad black man.

STOP THE MADNESS!!! THORNTON IS NOT A REAL OBAMA SUPPORTER!!! DON'T BE SO GULLIBLE!!!! NO OBAMA SUPPORTER WOULD BE TURNED OFF BY THIS. ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS WE SUPPORT HIM IS BECAUSE WE ARE ALL TOO AWARE OF WHO HRC IS AND THERE AINT A DAMN THING IN THIS WORLD THAT WOULD TURN HER INTO A GOOD PERSON. DON'T BE FOOLED!!!

OMG. Hillary has to drop out the race now. OMG. I mentioned the word "race." OMB, here's Bill and Wright shaking hands. Does that mean Wright supports Hillary? Does that mean the black vote will move to Hillary now that we have clear evidence that Wright supported Bill? OMB, does this mean old white women will run from Hillary?

I ask that you guys avoid being quick to just abandon Barack. There is no easy way to talk about race so any comment that isnt worded correctly can offend some and uplift others. When he said typical white ask yourself the question. has there been an instance to which you as a white person green person or yellow person walked down the street and seen two or so black men walking towards you and been somewhat fearful? If so that the remarks arent that out of line. I also ask that to whites out there, if you have never attended a black church please do so. get a sense and feeling of one before saying that they spit out hate. ive been in church all my life and there have been maybe 5 instances to which something like rev wrights comments have been made. I extend you an invitation. just be openminded and feel free to ask questions. dont just up and leave because your not given all the information

Regarding taking the children to the services, most churchs have seperate services for children, so there is strong probability that the children were not present at any of the services.
when my pastor knows the content may be too mature for children, they are asked to be removed from the services and sent to children's church.

Shelly says..."When Ted Haggard was exposed....? Haggard, 50, was appointed president of the evangelicals association in March 2003. He has participated in conservative Christian leaders' conference calls with White House staffers and lobbied members of Congress last year on U.S. Supreme Court appointees after Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement. Were his actions projected onto the congregation? Was the congregation guilty by association of buying meth and having a gay adulterous relationship? No. So then if this Preacher's direct actions didnt negatively stain the judgment his congregation over which he pastored for 20 years...or skew perception of 'white churches' in general... or discredit the judgment of the National Association of Evangelicals for which he was elected President over 45,000 churches... or ruin the White House for whom he lobbied Supreme Court Justice Nominees... then why do you think the opinions of Obama's former pastor are being held over Obama's head like they are HIS sins?"
The big difference between Rev. Wright and Ted Haggard is that Ted Haggard's indescretions and improprieties were not known to the congregation he ministered to until they were leaked by his gay lover. Once the news came out, he was immediately removed from the pastorate and disciplined. Ted Haggard is no longer in the ministry today.
Yet Rev. Wright has been spewing this kind of unbiblical, anti-US, black supremacy, white trash, victim mentality rhetoric publicly through his pulpit for many years....and no one in his church, on his board...or even Obama himself has held him accountable.
It would be another story if Ted Haggard's congregation knew of his sins and continued to have him as their pastor. Yet they did not. Rev. Wright's congregation (along with Obama and Michell) have knows this man...and his teachings...and yet they have turned a blind eye to it for years and years. It is only when he statements come under scrutiny, that he now denounces and repudiates them.
If the members of Rev. Wright's church had any guts, they would have confronted him years ago. If the board of Rev. Wright's church had any guts, they would have removed him years ago. If Obama had any guts, he would have left the church years ago. He did not and it shows what kind of man he really is- a duplicitous hypocrite.
The members of Ted Haggards church are not responsible for his sin because they were unaware of them. The members of Rev. Wright's church were aware of them, and yet allowed him to remain as their pastor. Thus, they share in his sins ....and in his words.

Steve says: ".... These Obamabots are even worse than the neocons and the Bushies. So irrational!! ------- Steve, these guys ARE tomorrow's NeoCons considering the fact that the current Neocons were yesterday's liberals.

---Wright met Bill Clinton----
---Wright is Obama's spiritual advisor---- Ben Smith, this is pretty weak stuff. You are not comparing apples and oranges, you are comparing apples and racists.
-----Clinton 08------

Well considering Obama's connection to Wright was a 20 year close mentor relationship... this is really not news.... I mean I am sure you can find picture of Obama and Ferrero in the same room talking too. I mean come on!! Usually presidents DO invite people of ALL views and races, and religions to remain unbias include ALL. I am sure if he knew Rev Wright was so ignorant.. he may have been uninvited.... But oh... let me guess... Hillary is the bigger villain in this? Even though her connection was far less meaningful and over 8 years ago? The picture shown is of BILL shaking his hand. Politico... go find something meaningful and in todays times to report on. I am sure if you look hard enough you can find Mrs. Obama shaking hands with other controversial leaders too... maybe she has hugged Monica? This is getting ridiculous!!

Fact of the matter is: Wright came out to support Hillary and Bill in their time of need but as soon as they got the chance, they threw him under the bus. Just like they did gays, and just like they did Blacks...

Last week, I didn't care who won the election. But after Obama's speech, I'm sold.
Obama just delivered what will be remembered as the most important speech on race relations in decades. Not only that, but he condemned Wright's remarks without condemning him as a person or selling out his roots.
Rather than duck the race issue, he took it head on. He spoke about bigotry, racism, black anger, white resentment, modern segregation... how many politicians would dare take on something so huge? How many speeches have touched on those issues with such a lack of divisiveness? This guy understands race relations on a level that very few of us can. No doubt growing up black in a white household helped.
The fact that he wrote that amazing speech by himself, rather than using a team of advisors, shows how amazing this guy is. We need a man like him in the White House.

This video is something that someone else said and did - Not Obama. He's not resposible for his pastor.
Let me see the video were Obama is saying these things and I'll change my vote to stay home.
I'm not voting for Rev. Wright. Nothing that you have shown us can convince us that Obama can't win or share Rev. Wright's view on this- not this time. Recession, 2 wars, no healthcare, failing schools - Not this time!
Your divisive distracts are not working on the America people - the stakes are to high to stay in this infinate loop.

In this photo Bill is saying:---Thank you for coming Rev Wright. I have a problem. I need your spiritual help because I have these hidden desires inside me and.... HEY! Look at the hooters on THAT one!

Jack Writes: "Hillary is not a member of the church and doesn't sit in the pews during Wright's shameful surmons"
That's because Clinton has been an active participant in conservative Bible study and prayer circles that are part of a secretive Capitol Hill group known as the "Fellowship," aka The Family. Which is also chalk full of conservatives...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-ehrenreich/hillarys-nasty-pastorate_b_92361.html

ummm, so? This was a 1 and 1/2 hour event..Bill "repented" had breakfast, made rounds to say hello to everyone. Ummm, Wright was not his pastor, not mentor..Certainly did not Marry Bill and Hill, did not baptize Chelsea..and ummm, did not attend his church for 20 years..Nice try Obama and Camp. Hillary all the way baby!

We all know how the Clintons like to crawl up in Black Churches during campaign time. Pray tell if Bill visited the church looking for votes. The church should check their guest registers
and old news paper clippings. Hell I will do the news paper serch my self.

Be very careful about pulling certain statements out of context to analyze. Did it even occur to anyone that when he relates the story to his grandmother, he's actually proving that he's NOT racist? That demonstrating how he can relate to the fact that no matter how loving and kind the person, our history of bad race relations has affected us all?? Yeah, yeah - this is politics as usual, but does it have to be this way? Really? Quit picking bits and pieces to fuss over, actually LISTEN to what he's saying, then CHANGE YOUR VOTE to OBAMA 'o8!!

If the Clintons steal the nomination from Obama, She cannot beat McCain and this country will see civil unrest that will make 1968 look like a boy scout campfire. How many of Obama's supporters do the Dems really think will vote for HRC if she gets the nomination. I'd rather see a doddering old man in the White House then Clinton snakes. By the way, where are those tax returns Hillary?

TO KATHY SMITH AND OTHER...
First you say he sat there for 20 years......
Then you say, oh the picture was before the comments were made....
Pleeeaassee!!
EITHER HE WAS RACIST FOR 20 YEARS OR NOT....
FACT HE IS A RESPECTED THEOLOGIAN AND NOT A RACIST, AS MANY OF YOU HAVE POSTED.

ANALYZE: Former Pres. Bill Clinton a self proven liar and an adulterer. Rev. Jeremiah Wright a man of the cloth who spoke the truth about racial injustice and inequality in America. Make the camparison. "Truth or Dare." Should Sen. Hillary Clinton have divorced her husband for his admitted betrayal to satisfy society feelings of betrayal? On the other hand should Sen. Barack Obama have disassociated himself with his former Pastor simply because society felt offended by his revelation of the truth. Mistakes have been made in the past on both sides of the fence why is it that the standard of forgiveness is doubled edged,(meaning that the rules change) when it is not in favor of the right wing. What needs to happen now is for every one to choose their candidate base on rules that governs this race and allow it to move forward in a clean and productive manner, without rhetoric or deception. Let the people decide. Let the chips fall where they may. Let the remaining factors remain inclusive and the uninclusive factors remain uninclusive. Taking advantage of the limited time that's left to run a clean and dignified campaign, and whatever the end result, we all work together for the good of ALL the people of this Great country, the United States of America. Respectfully, True American

RE: FIRST POST IN THIS THREAD: TROLL ALERT. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the "concern troll". This is a classic time honored trolling lie. "I am an X candidate supporter, but now I am concerned about their recent proposal to eat white babies for breakfast", The first post in this thread is likely by a Clinton supporter. THIS IS DESPICABLE. BEN, PLEASE DELETE THIS OBVIOUS TROLLING POST.

Never in political history has a political candidate defended his spiritual connections. Either way, Obama is making history, no matter the situation he is placed in. Whites will never understand some of the blacks spiritual messages unless they visit the churches and see what is going on. And I can see why this portion is offensive to the unprepared listener. Mind you, Wright's comments were over the top, but its not something that will make me change allegiances. For most blacks, the approach to Wright's messages is different than white people. White people feels fear, black people jsut shrug their shoulders. If you have visited black churches, you will understand the common way in which messages are delivered messages, and yes, black people do have minds and can choose to disagree with the spiritual leaders without physically leaving the church.
Hilary has proven to be someone you cannot trust. Initially I was swaying between both hiliary and obama, but Obama has proved to be the better person and better equipped to tke America into another direction in this turbulent times. We need authenticity and someone who is real, not phony, fresh and not business-as-usual. He is the one to at least start the ball a rolling and take us in that direction. If he was in a white skin, I would have still voted for him. I am voting for the man, not his color. If he is not selected as nominee, I am this close to voting for McCaain. I don't who is the lesser of the two evils, hiliary or mccain..seriously, can't say I will vote in the up coming election if hiliary wins the nomination, b/c there are two candidates i do not want to lead the country up for being the president.

I am white and am not in the least offended by his remarks, any white claiming not to have involuntarily felt that reaction is either in denial or raised in a far more politically correct world than I knew in the fifties and sixties. He has opened a necessary discussion that should have been opened so openly decades ago.

I understand that few Obama supporters are upset with his pastor, but please let's discuss the issue and see past it. I know his pastor is nuts, and Obama thinks so too. I think obama's judgement on political views have been really good and his strategy with HRC has been good. Let's work it out please don't feel betrayed.
thanks

When I saw the clips of Wright I also saw White members in the pews. It has been reported that this is a multiracial church. If he went on like this every time he got in the pulpit, would they still be there? Think about this.

Ok, now, Rush, Hannity, Levin, Laura Ingraham, you beat the hell out of Obama for "hanging out" with Jeremiah Wright, what will you say about Hillary and her husband, the one you want us Conservatives to vote for, "hanging out" with the same Jeremaiah Wright. Can we say, political expediency, just like Obama?????????

Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, John Edwards have all been to Rev. Wright's church. He has over 8,000 members and most politicians go and visit his church....... He has visited the White House several times..... Hillary's people didn't know those pictures existed and that Bill had been to his church several times...

I live in Brooklyn. When I come home at night from work- I feel the same way as that "typical" white grandmother feels when I see a black guy or a Hispanic guy. Common whom are we kidding by saying Obama was wrong to say so?
However, there are many good religious African American people in my neighborhood. I am blessed to have such neighbors.

Rev. Wright is shocking???? I recall visiting a Protestant church the week the ministers chose to speak out about Kennedy and what the Pope would do to our proud nation.The sermon was hate, not reconciliation.
You have to walk in the shoes of someone as old as Rev. Wright to understand how some of the emotions rise to the surface.Women of my mother's generation felt threatened by blacks not out of racism; rather it often was the effect of moving in an environment close to the home and a smaller circle of people. The threatening feeling was also felt with Asians, Hispanics, etc.

Ceck this out: Hillary?s cult: Jeff Sharlet's shocking expos? The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power will be published in May. Get on it Main Stream Media!
Oh, and btw the breached passport bandits reported to a Clinton appointed supervisor...how's that for irony. Watergate part 2...What a wonderful way to end a week! lol

What is at state here in this election is literally the future of our country. I ask you to consider... why, why, why...didn't Obama speak out, as he did so eloquently this week, to the members of his congregation and to Wright and Meeks and all others who perpetuated the outrageous words he condemned this week. What was he waiting for? You don't have to be President or a candidate for President to work for unity and racial justice. You all need to remember MLK and all he accomplished without any offical office or title. (By the way, Martin Luther Kings speeches were only the tip of an iceberg that included meetings, strategy, protests and marches that changed the dialog of race and influences LBJ among others to change the law.)
So ask yourself...what was Obama waiting for? MKL was 42 when he was assassinated. Look at all he accomplished before he was killed. Obama is 46, what was he waiting for? The Presidency is not some magic place....you have to work, bit by bit, just as MLK did to advance your policies in or out of office.
I would feel confident of Obama if he had a history of working in aid of the public policies he speaks so eloquently about. What is he waiting for?
What was he waiting for?

Let me get this straight!
Obama says his grandmother who he said has racist views about blcks represents "a typical white person", associates himself with a racist and anti-American pastor for 20 years, names his book after one of this racist pastor's sermons, calls him his spiritual inspiration, and then is trying to find a moral equivalence between his connection to this racist pastor and a picture taken in 1998 with President Clinton in a public meeting involving a number of other pastors from around the country.
His whole speech on Tuesday was full of excuses. Comparing the racist pastor to his poor grandmother, comparing his pastor to Geraldine Ferraro, comparing his pastor to white people, and so on and so forth.
Obama was married by this racist and anti-American pastor and his children were baptized by this racist and anti-American pastor.
What Obama needs to do, if he is man enough, is take responsibility for associating himself with this pastor, apologize to the American people, snap all his ties with this racist pastor and quit this church.

This is actually sorta funny that it has now come out that the person in charge of the office that breached Sen Obamas passport file was once appointed an Ambassador to Paraguay by guess who?? I'll give you one guess. That is right, BILLARY!!
And for all who say that Rev Wright being in the White House doesn't mean anything It means that he was not a threat. He was well respected enough to be allowed in the White House and be close enough to the President to shake his hand. As far as him being abandoned by the Clintons when he was there for them. IT'S THE CLINTONS!!!!

I am sick and tired of the f***ing hypocracy of this country. What Obama did in the face of this so-called "Wright Crisis" was extraordinary. It was classy. The mixed reaction to it, speaks volumes to where this country is. We don't deserve Barack Obama. Just the other day, I snapped at my mother for making a racially insensitve comment about one of her students who happened to be Asian. (Oh, BTW, in case you're wondering? I am African-American.) I have been waiting my whole adult life for this stupid country (yeah, you heard me) to transcend race. We have the chance to do so right now. But I have no faith that we will. If for some reason Obama's campaign is derailed by this Wright BS, (who BTW, I think is an idiot) then he still would have accomplished what no other failed presidential candidate has ever done. He will have gone out on a high note with his dignity and message intact. It will be us who will look back in retrospect and wonder why we let this moment slip by.

How ridiculous and hypocritical, and hysterical. Also the comments to just jump at soemthign like this. Obamamorons getting scared of losing? Obama's going after Clinton for a picture taken of them together? That's rich. You're the Anti-American and you are going after Bill for a picture? Yeah, that's some more good character and judgement you're showing there, Obama. There's a pretty famous picture of you two together also, buddy and a lot closer up.

I still like Obama: sure he listened to Rev Wright for 20 years but Obama is like any other politician: he doesn't get worked up about words unless the words actually affect polls. These guys do not actually believe in anything they or anyone else says. It's all garbage and artifice and bluster; they have to feign a response to even the most inflammatory speech. The reason it's no big deal for Clinton to be associating with Rev. Wright is that Clinton is just using the Rev Wright like the Democrats have always used the Blacks. Nothing personal, it's only Business.

its a national gathering of religious leaders, big deal!! obama comparing a meeting with wright to 20 years of obama listening to the racist hate from wright....keep hoping guys, obama sunked himself and is getting whooped in all the polls......

Looks like everyone has someone who could cause eyebrows to be raised - Yes even Sean Hannity.
The youngest of four children (he is the only boy), Hannity was born December 30, 1961 in New York City to a father who was a probation officer and a mother who was a homemaker. Growing up in Franklin Square, Long Island, NY, he used to listen to talk radio a lot and he said in his book Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty Over Liberalism (2002), that one of his heroes is a man he would eventually succeed, Bob "I don't have any problem with the National Alliance" Grant. "I'd grown up listening to Bob Grant...one of the most entertaining hosts I'd ever heard," he wrote.
====================
Bob Grant - Critics charged that Grant was an inflammatory racist, claiming Grant's statements (in disputed contexts) describing certain African Americans as "savages" and former New York Mayor David Dinkins as "the men's room attendant at the 21 Club" were meant to apply to all African-Americans. (This appellation was made while Grant was reading the New York Post on-air and saw a picture of a white dinner jacket clad Dinkins at a summer soiree on the gossip-oriented Page Six; Grant was famous for sharing his immediate first impressions over the airwaves).
Over the years, Grant has made a number of statements on his shows that critics have described as racist. For example, he was quoted in the Newsday on June 2nd, 1992, as saying "Minorities are the Big Apple's majority, you don't need the papers to tell you that, walk around and you know it. To me, that's a bad thing. I'm a white person." In his book, Grant defended this statement by writing that he did not intend to put down other racial groups, but only intended to express that "no one likes to be in the minority," and sincerely believes that, while other ethnic groups have made contributions to American society, it is Europeans who created America and America can only survive by retaining its "humane, west European culture." Thus, he supports ending most non-European immigration as well as bilingualism and multiculturalism, two policies of which Grant has been highly critical. Grant has repeatedly advocated "eugenics" by promoting the "Bob Grant Mandatory Sterilization Program," although it is not technically mandatory because he believes that temporary sterilizations should be mandatory for women of childbearing age who wish to receive welfare payments; because women can choose to simply not receive welfare, it is not a violation of their civil liberty
Quotes have Grant saying, on January 6, 1992, that the the U.S. has "millions of sub-humanoids, savages, who really would feel more at home careening along the sands of the Kalahari or the dry deserts of eastern Kenya--people who, for whatever reason, have not become civilized." Grant has repeatedly come under attack for calling blacks "savages," but claims that he is only referring to rioters. He has also been credited with referring to black churchgoers as "screaming savages".
Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Grant_(radio)#Controversial_Statements_About_Race
=====================================
We should be concerned about the tone and focus Mr. Hannity reports on Sen. Obama?s associations, since he has in his book profiled Mr. Grant as one of his ?heroes?

This picture is no big deal..this was a reception for all kinds of religious leaders at the White House. The big difference Obama supporters is that Hillary or Bill do not have a 20 year relationship with Wright, neither have been members of his church for 20 yrs, and neither claim him as their 'spiritual advisor' and call him a 'member of their family'.

Dear Thornton,
I am a white woman who definitely crosses the street when I see several African American coming towards me. I( I grew up in NY)But I am not a racist. I believe in equal opportunity and I believe that blacks have grievances that are completely legimitate (as do whites).
I just think it will take years to overcome them.

Hillary's Nasty Pastorate ---http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080331/ehrenreich
...But almost all its real work goes on behind the scenes--knitting together international networks of right-wing leaders, most of them ostensibly Christian. In the 1940s, The Family reached out to former and not-so-former Nazis, and its fascination with that exemplary leader, Adolf Hitler...

I would love for someone to present a rational and cogent argument as to why someone who is supposedly "anti-American" (did we just flash-back to the '50's?) would run for the office of president? I mean, I am an open-minded person. I am willing to listen to all sides. Please, explain to me, if Barack Obama hates America, why is he running for president? If he is racist, why is he running for president. (Given the fact that he doesn't have a chance in hell w/o the white majority vote.) So please, if anyone can enlighten me, I am happy to listen.

I am an Obama supporter, but am now taking another look at Hillary Clinton.
What an absurd thing to say thornton. How can you be offended by what Obama said today about a typical white person.
I can say this as I am a white female over the age of fifty who knows how white females acted in the late fiftys early sixtys. They clutched their purses, they walked a little faster, when they where in mixed company walking down the street.
So it was a typical white reaction to blacks he was discribing.
I also grew up in that time, in a small town, we only have 1 african american family that lived in the town i grew up in. They were treated differently.
When I went to high school, I was bused to the city, as the town I lived in didnt have a high school of their own.
The first day off the bus, blacks from the city were pulling whites, my male friends off the buses, just because we were sent to their school.
My parents were not racist, did not bring me up as a racist. It took them along time to feel safe sending me to that high school.
In the end of my high school years, most of my friends where a multitude of colors. I actually had a wonderful experience, and still remain very close to those people to this very day. To be honest with you though, it does not surprise me nor does it offend me when obama said it was a typical white person reaction.
As it probably dam well was.....

Absurd. Compares a dinner with probably 500 other people to a 20-year "spiritual mentorship." DESPARATE! and CHILDISH!
Bottom line: anyone who chooses to closely associate for 20 years with someone who so clearly seethes with hatred for America and all for which she stands is not fit to be our President.

What is the Obama campiagn trying to suggest with this picture? That getting a picture taken with JWright is indication of bad judgment.
Let us stipulate that Clinton aides didn't vet JWright's background and speeches properly before invitinh him to this event. Their excuse would be that they didn't attend his church, they didn't know about his speeches, and so on.
If the Obama campaign thinks that this is such a bad thing that Bill Clinton got a picture taken with this guy then
how bad it is that Obama himself associated with this guy for 20 years, got married by him, got his children baptized by him,
and named a book after one of his sermons.
All this latest stunt does is draw attention to Obama's spectacularly bad judgment.
Today he dug himself a deeper hole by referring to a 'typical white person.'
This is Obama's baby and he has to deal with its consequences.

I do not understand why the Obama camp would push this? This is just stunning. Kerry's 'because he's black', McCaskill's 'not a victim', Obama's 'typical white person', and pushing this photo to what?.. What is going on?

Oh get over yourselves, people. Bill Clinton was president for EIGHT YEARS and invited a significant number of religious leaders. By any measure, Rev. Wright was the head of a very well-known Black church for three decades. So he got an invite, along with lots of other people.
This IS a non-issue. Rev. Wright was not even a blip on Bill Clinton's radar screen back in 1998, much less his spiritual advisor, mentor, baptizer, ball-and-chain-affixer, or pastor of twenty years.
Can anyone seriously make a coherent case (i.e., one that does not make nonsensical reference to a 1990's vintage so-called "scandal" that resulted in nothing except a few careers for right-wing shills whose idea of writing a book is to insult people with stereotypes and generalities) that Bill Clinton was in ANY way influenced by or should be aligned with Rev. Wright?
And for those people who are trying to argue that it is wrong for the Clinton campaign to try to use the Wright issue to change superdelegates' minds, please spare me, drama queens. OF COURSE her campaign is using it. It would be incompetent not to do so. This is a real issue. Sen. Clinton has always said she is the most electable candidate, the one most vetted, etc. Disagree with her on her conclusion, but the notion that we need an electable candidate is real. Anyone remember Swift Boat? Sen. Kerry was a war hero, but the reason that attack stuck is because he took an action (returning his medals) that was in line with the attack. And people chose to ignore the broader context. The same principle applies here.
The issue about Rev. Wright goes to Sen. Obama's judgment (much like his judgment in taking money from Rezko for 15 years and letting him get involved in a land deal -- where are all the idiots whining about "Whitewater" now? There was no wrongdoing in Whitewater, either, but that doesn't stop you from trying to argue that it somehow should preclude Sen. Clinton from being POTUS.).
He told us to evaluate him on his judgment, because he is not experienced. But most people say "I wouldn't let my children hear that" or "I would have walked out" and it is a fundamentally jarring notion to them that Mr. Uniter did not do what they would have done.
That's a much more cogent reason to use superdelegate leverage to decide a VERY close primary election than something like "I think your present representation of your long-ago stance on the now-unpopular war is more in line with mine." But many of you would be happy to let the election be decided on the basis of a war vote from 2002. It seems far more productive and relevant to look forward, as Sen. Obama ironically asks us to do, and assess what the candidates plan to do to help address ALL of the nation's present-day, pressing needs.
Bottom line, if you are a Democrat, you should care about your presidential candidate's exposed left flank, as you can be sure the right will attack it. Sen. McCain can fire all the surrogates he wants; he does not control the right wing conspiracy (whose vastness may or may not be exaggerated). You'll see the videos, or the parts of them they want you to see, again. And again. And again.
"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, and makes us rather bear those ills we have, than fly to others we know not of."
Hamlet was right. We should go with the known quality. Sen. Clinton has been written about in about sixty books. Sen. Obama has written more books about himself than have been written about him, but that will soon change (when the right wingers launch a cottage industry based on smearing him with the remnants of everything they don't like about what they think they see in society - expect frequent and charitable use of the words "Marxist" and "Afrocentric."
Don't say I didn't warn you. Oh and I'm black and want Sen. Edwards to be the nominee if I could pick any of the candidates who campaigned in Iowa.
StephenHNIC - wondering if my best friend is a "typical white person"

Guess what OBAMABOTS? The damage is done. People know about Obama's twenty year association with this pastor. No amount of flailing by you or Obama is going to change that. And he can't blame others for it.
You have already lost crucial support and it ain't coming back.

Wow, you mean the Obama campaign engages in dirty politics?! What a way to deflect attention from their "problem" by leaking a picture of Bill Clinton with Rev. Wright (kinda like saying: "hey why are you picking on me, they did it too") I thought that was just the "Wicked Witch of NY",Hillary Clinton. To think that "Saint" Barack actually IS just another politician. He too will do ANYTHING to win. I guess he's not so perfect after all...

With respect to Obama's comment about "typical white persons", here is the link so you can listen to him in his own words. Now if a Republican said, "typical black person", what would your response be? http://hotair.com/archives/2008/03/20/obama-my-grandmother-who-fears-black-men-is-a-typical-white-person/e

Leave it to the Democrats to choke a "gimme" election.
So now they're going to nominate an African American who buddies up to black nationalist radicals and who refuses to enumerate his policies because he's an off the chart socialist.
Brilliant!!
Yeah, middle america's gonna dig this cat.
lol. Way to go Dems!!!

"That's where Clinton reportedly told the assembled clerics, at the depth of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, that he had "repented."
That's Clintonese for "I screwed the pooch, and I couldn't lie my way out of this one!!!"

Thorton,
If you are a true "Obama Supporter" you would know for a fact that Sen.Obama did not and could not stereotype whites as racist. If that is the case, he would have had to reject his own family. Including his own mother, who was white.
Sen. Obama never said in that speech that his loving grandmother was a "typical white". What he did say was he could not disown his grandmother; a woman who loved, raised, and sacrificed again, and again for Barack. However, she did, on more than one occassion utter racial or ethnic statements that made him cringe. Sen.Obama said his own grandmother said this. Does this make you uncomfortable to hear this? It is true. Sen. Obama said his own grandmother said this. Yet, she was his loving grandmother. (we all have people in our families that say things we donot like and make us cringe).
Thornton, you say his acceptance of Rev.Wrights words in church cast doubt on Sen.Obama's judgment. What acceptance of Rev.Wrights words? The speech that I listened to, Sen.Obama said, "Rev. Wrights statements were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity." Sen.Obama condemned Rev.Wrights charged words. And, most importantly, Sen. Obama did not make these statements himself. The statement Rev.Wright made were words that do not reflect Sen.Obama's ideals and values.
I don't know what speech you listened to but the Sen.Obama that I listened to did not say the things you said he said. I am not sure exactly what you perceived Sen.Obama said. But, the reality is that we are a nation that needs healing. Our country is suffering a great deal. We are in a recession, jobs are loss, foreclosures,etc. On top of all of that, we are fighting a war that we should NOT be fighting. Our education system is failing our children.
etc.
So, I truly hope that you are not relying on the "media" to continue to pursue this story, because if you are, then you will be more misguided. You will not have all the facts and base your decisions of a small piece of information. Once you have ALL the facts, then base your decision on that. REMEMBER: The media edits alot of info. The only report what they Want you to hear.
Lastly, before you consider "taking another look", I simply ask you think about why you supported Sen. Obama in the first place. His campaign was built of hope, change, and unity. A courageous man who believes we can have a more UNITED AMERICA. A nation united. Change is needed in our country and the only way to do it is to elect Sen.Obama as our next President.

Sorry for the formatting error.
Oh get over yourselves, people. Bill Clinton was president for EIGHT YEARS and invited a significant number of religious leaders. By any measure, Rev. Wright was the head of a very well-known Black church for three decades. So he got an invite, along with lots of other people. This IS a non-issue.
Rev. Wright was not even a blip on Bill Clinton's radar screen back in 1998, much less his spiritual advisor, mentor, baptizer, ball-and-chain-affixer, or pastor of twenty years.
Can anyone seriously make a coherent case (i.e., one that does not make nonsensical reference to a 1990's vintage so-called "scandal" that resulted in nothing except a few careers for right-wing shills whose idea of writing a book is to insult people with stereotypes and generalities) that Bill Clinton was in ANY way influenced by or should be aligned with Rev. Wright?
And for those people who are trying to argue that it is wrong for the Clinton campaign to try to use the Wright issue to change superdelegates' minds, please spare me, drama queens. OF COURSE her campaign is using it. It would be incompetent not to do so. This is a real issue.
Sen. Clinton has always said she is the most electable candidate, the one most vetted, etc. Disagree with her on her conclusion if you want to, but the notion that we need an electable candidate is real. Anyone remember Swift Boat? Sen. Kerry was a war hero, but the reason that attack stuck is because he took an action (returning his medals) that was in line with the attack. And people chose to ignore the broader context.
The same principle applies here. The issue about Rev. Wright goes to Sen. Obama's judgment (much like his judgment in taking money from Rezko for 15 years and letting him get involved in a land deal -- where are all the idiots whining about "Whitewater" now? There was no wrongdoing in Whitewater, either, but that doesn't stop you from trying to argue that it somehow should preclude Sen. Clinton from being POTUS.).
He told us to evaluate him on his judgment, because he is not experienced. But most people say "I wouldn't let my children hear that" or "I would have walked out" and it is a fundamentally jarring notion to them that Mr. Uniter did not do what they would have done. That's a much more cogent reason to use superdelegate leverage to decide a VERY close primary election than something like "I think your present representation of your long-ago stance on the now-unpopular war is more in line with mine." But many of you would be happy to let the election be decided on the basis of a war vote from 2002.
It seems far more productive and relevant to look forward, as Sen. Obama ironically asks us to do, and assess what the candidates plan to do to help address ALL of the nation's present-day, pressing needs.
Bottom line, if you are a Democrat, you should care about your presidential candidate's exposed left flank, as you can be sure the right will attack it. Sen. McCain can fire all the surrogates he wants; he does not control the right wing conspiracy (whose vastness may or may not be exaggerated). You'll see the videos, or the parts of them they want you to see, again. And again. And again.
"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, and makes us rather bear those ills we have, than fly to others we know not of."
Hamlet was right. We should go with the known quantity. Sen. Clinton has been written about in about sixty books. Sen. Obama has written more books about himself than have been written about him, but that will soon change (when the right wingers launch a cottage industry based on smearing him with the remnants of everything they don't like about what they think they see in society - expect frequent and charitable use of the words "Marxist" and "Afrocentric"). Don't say I didn't warn you.
Oh and I'm black and want Sen. Edwards to be the nominee if I could pick any of the candidates who campaigned in Iowa.
StephenHNIC - wondering if my best friend is a "typical white person"

Here's what I know. I know that the soundbites and 30 second clips look horrible and then I stumbled on the full context...a full 6 minutes or so of video showing what the Reverend said in that speech of "God Damn America" etc. The discussion focused on the history of slavery in America and I found it to be a very intellectual and passionate sermon. I was suprised...but only because the media hasn't been talking about that part of the man. I am just a 30 year old white male from TX who happens to think very highly of Senator Obama. I asked myself - what does he feel in his heart as if any of us could know right....but its pretty clear to me that Obama is a good man who has never said anything divisive. I won't blame Obama for those 30 second soundbites...I wish more people would actually research this stuff.

Body: THE HUFFINGTON POST
Different Standards for Black and White Preachers
By Cenk Uygur
Posted March 19, 2008
Rudy Giuliani's priest has been accused in grand jury proceedings of molesting several children and covering up the molestation of others. Giuliani would not disavow him on the campaign trail and still works with him.
Mitt Romney was part of a church that did not view black Americans as equals and actively discriminated against them. He stayed with that church all the way into his early thirties, until they were finally forced to change their policies to come into compliance with civil rights legislation. Romney never disavowed his church back then or now. He said he was proud of the faith of his fathers.
Jerry Falwell said America had 9/11 coming because we tolerated gays, feminists and liberals. It was our fault. Our chickens had come home to roost, if you will. John McCain proudly received his support and even spoke at his university's commencement.
Reverend John Hagee has called the Catholic Church the "Great Whore." He has said that the Anti-Christ will rise out of the European Union (of course, the Anti-Christ will also be Jewish). He has said all Muslims are trained to kill and will be part of the devil's army when Armageddon comes (which he hopes is soon). John McCain continues to say he is proud of Reverend Hagee's endorsement.
Reverend Rod Parsley believes America was founded to destroy Islam. Since this is such an outlandish claim, I have to add for the record, that he is not kidding. Reverend Parsley says Islam is an "anti-Christ religion" brought down from a "demon spirit." Of course, we are in a war against all Muslims, including presumably Muslim-Americans. Buts since Parsley believes this is a Christian nation and that it should be run as a theocracy, he is not very concerned what Muslim-Americans think.
John McCain says Reverend Rod Parsley is his "spiritual guide.
"
What separates all of these outrageous preachers from Barack Obama's? You guessed it. They're white and Reverend Jeremiah Wright is not.
If it's not racism that's causing the disparity in media treatment of these preachers, then what is it?
I'm willing to listen to other possible explanations. And I am inclined to believe that the people these preachers go after are more important than the race of the preacher. It's one thing to go after gays, liberals and Muslims -- that seems to be perfectly acceptable in America -- it's another to accuse white folks of not living up to their ideals.
I think there is another factor at play as well. The media is deathly afraid of calling out preachers of any stripe for insane propaganda from the pulpits for fear that they will be labeled as anti-Christian. But criticism of Rev. Wright falls into their comfort zone. It's easy to blame him for being anti-American because he criticizes American foreign and domestic policy.
If Rev. Wright had preached about discriminating against gay Americans or Muslims, there probably would not have been any outcry at all. That falls into the category of "respect their hateful opinions because they cloak themselves in the church.
"
But one thing is indisputable -- the enormous disparity in how the media has covered these white preachers as opposed to Rev. Wright. Have you ever even heard of Rod Parsley? As you can see from what I listed above, all of these white preachers have said and done the most outlandish and offensive things you can imagine -- and hardly a peep.
If the disparity in coverage isn't racist, then what is it?

Hillarys ?embarassment? runs a bit longer than 20-years. Her problems are close to home. Her Rev. Wright were her bothers:
Hillary Clinton, now a newly-sworn-in Senator, said, "He's my brother. I love my brother ... I'm just extremely disappointed in this terrible misjudgment that he made ... I knew nothing about my brother's involvement in these pardons. I knew nothing about his taking money for his involvement."
In 1999, Hugh and brother Tony Rodham entered into a $118 million venture to grow and export hazelnuts from the Republic of Georgia.9 The U.S. State Department and National Security Advisor Sandy Berger became upset, however, when the Rodhams' local business connection in Batumi turned out to be Aslan Abashidze, a major political opponent of Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, then a key U.S. ally in the region.11917 After initial resistance,11 Berger and the Clintons prevailed upon the Rodham brothers to drop the deal.92 Hugh Rodham stated that he was only acting as a lawyer for the venture and did not have money invested in it.11
Episodes such as these led Hillary Clinton's White House staff to refer to Hugh and Tony as "the Brothers Rodham",18 extending the American tradition of troublesome presidential siblings to the brother-in-law category;11 one senior White House official would be quoted as saying, "You never wanted to hear their name come up in any context other than playing golf."18
As the Clinton administration came to a close in early 2001, it was discovered that Hugh Rodham received around $400,000 for legal services regarding gaining the Presidential pardon of fraudulent businessman Glenn Braswell and the sentence commutation of drug trafficker Carlos Vignali.6 While legal experts said that Rodham may well not have done anything wrong, the appearance of possible impropriety certainly existed.6 Moreoever, coming while the Bill Clinton pardons controversy was already in full force, this was a further embarrassment for the former administration and even got the attention of the Congressional House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Their ?situations? ran for years, how could she just keep allowing that to happen. She expects Sen. Obama to control his minister, how about her brothers?
Hillary's glass house - They all have them. McCain too.

This is not an attempt to smear the Clinton's
It is an attempt to clear Rev. Wright's fundamentally good nature. He was good enough to be invited to this function, which goes towards the reasons for Obama supporting Rev. Wright.
Don't you folks realize, that by some accounts, Obama has staked his candidacy on his friendship with Rev. Wright. Doesn't that demonstrate courage and honor in the face of massive, unfair criticism.
Disregard for a moment Rev. Wright's angry and reckless statements, and see the good work he has done raising people out of poverty - doing God's work here on earth.

So either the Obama campaign is attempting to smear the Clintons by linking them with Rev. Wright or they are trying to redeem Rev. Wright by linking him with Bill Clinton. Either way, it's hilarious.
Frankly, this comes off as a bit desperate and, well, classless on the Obama campaign's part.

Hillary Clinton berates Obama for his ties to Rezco (?sp); then a pic of her and him shows up on the Drudge Report. Clinton supporters then berate Obama for his ties to Wright; then a picture of him and Clinton shows up on Drudge. lol!!

I felt like Obama's speech gave the most honest, open and truthful outlook of not just race relations in this country but also socioeconomic relations in this country. I felt this relief that a politician actually talked about the fact that so many of us at the bottom of the barrel, who don't have money, get caught in the cycle of blame. I am even more excited about Obama as a president. I think this was the most powerful speech by a politician of our time. I feel honored to have listened.

Most people "feel" that this individual is a great person, that will bring everyone together. Yet,should we not do a little research? For example,check out what Black Liberation Theology addresses.
Do you really think that he will bring all Americans together?
My problem with Obama is that he agrees with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. That scares me.

95% of the crap Wright said in those clips are standard far left talking points. Some points, yes, are false, but there is some truth in them...some. Moral relativism regarding 9-11 and Hiroshima, no WMDs, past racism...all true. The AIDS theory is, in a perverted way, justifiable to a point because there is the history with syphilis(sp) being given to African Americans. The crassness and tone of the delivery is what Fox and Friends thinks will scare white America. If the guy would have been saying the same things, but in a quiet, reserved tone, then this wouldn't be half of what it has been made out to be.
Having said that, this all will blow over. Fox and Friends have swift-boated way too early. It will fade and Obama will get sympathy points from voters who, by the summer, will realize Obama was getting a bad rap.
The right nut case people couldn't hold their load. In '04 they were smart to go after Kerry in August. It was still simmering by November. Not so with this, as it will fade away.

This is not a smear attempt at all. The point is to show that this is a respected man -- and has been for a long time. The point is to show that he is not the cartoon so many in the media have tried to present him as.

I AM AN OBAMA SUPPORTER AND NOTHING WILL CHANGE MY MIND...REV WRIGHT HAS NOT KILLED ANYBODY BY HIS WORDS. LISTEN TO BUSH COMPOSING A SONG AT A PARTY AND MOREOVER, LAUGHING ABOUT NOT FINDING WEAPONS OF MASS DESTR., ETC, ETC. TELL ME THAT THAT IS FUNNY WITH PEOPLE LOSING THEIR SONS AND DAUGHTERS FOR A WRONG WAR. PEOPLE YOU ALL NEED TO THINK WITH YOUR BRAINS INSTEAD OF HATE, RACE...
WHAT ABOUT THIS, NOW? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMaaDbGgsKA
CHARACTER ASSASSINATION DOES NOT WORK FOR ALL OF US ESPECIALLY BY ASSOCIATION! 19 HIJACKERS WERE FROM SAUDI ARABIA WHO FLEW THE PLANES ON 911...THIS ADM IS VERY CLOSE FRIENDS WITH KING ABDULLAH...ANY ASSOCIATION? YOU WOULD NOT SAY THAT WOULD YOU?

I was born and raised in Utah, home of the Mormon church and as a black female I can testify to how it is to live in a 'racist' place where the color of your skin makes you cursed. You can not enter into the sacred temple or hold a black man could not hold the same high standing as a white man. Yes, there was a revelation and we were 'forgiven' but hey - ideals held for so long by so many are hard to change. Obama took Utah - people who I've know all my life said for the first time they could see that color was not as important as what a person set to unite could do. Many of those people sat for generations in their wards (church) and allowed a gospel of discrimination & hate to be preached, teaching that color meant sin and they did nothing. There were so many times those who came to call themselves my friend would come and say then didn't hate me just what my race had done to get cursed. Let's move away from blame and anger and the stain of hate - Let's move forward and make those who founded this country proud. I know one thing Sen. Obama's right we must face our flaws and overcome it, move forward. We all know a house divided against itself shall not stand.

You people are so shallow...just looking for a "gotcha" to use against Hillary! Well, this isn't it! Having Rev. Wright as a guest among 200 other religious leaders hardly rises to the level of attending his church for 20 years, listening to his unAmerican rantings...calling him your mentor and friend...also uncle. It's not even close...so cool your jets. You didn't get her this time.

Do you support child molestation?
Have all Catholics left the church and renounced the Pope and the priesthood? The Catholic Church has sheltered and protected the child molesters among the priesthood. Does this mean that Catholics approve of child molestation? Have all Catholic women had every possible conceivable (pun intended) child they could? Have Catholic women used birth control? Are all Catholics against birth control because the Church is? Have all Catholics had sex ONLY for procreation? Do all Catholics believe in sexual abstinence unless the sex is for making a baby? We can go on and on and not just about the Catholic Church.
Everyone picks and chooses which tenets of their church they will follow and ACTUALLY believe. Why is Barack Obama targeted because his church leader is (justifiably) angry about the racism Blacks have experienced?

Obama/supporters are really grasping at straws. They are equating a 20 year relationship where Obama regularly attends this racist Sermons, even donates 10's of thousand dollars, to tens of thousands of people that happened to be photographed by Clinton. Anyone can find a racist photographed with a President if they look hard enough. But none of our presidents have ever patronaged a racist preacher for 20 years and then lies to American people about it, and then tries to place the guilt on one race.

You looked and listened to a 15second snippet of a man who has preached over 30 years. Did anyone actually listen to the entire sermon? It hurts when one picks your nerve with the truth. America has been and still is an arrogant bully, a thief, liar, a murderer, a backstabber, a cheater, a bigger liar, a fraud, greedy, evil, sneaky, devilish, inhumane, war-hawkish, and RACIST. Know your history folks. Rev Wright only said what was true. Take a good look in the mirror, you proud American.
Mr. Obama is giving you a chance to change your wicked ways. Try it, you might like it. The world is waiting to see if you mess this up too.

The main story is that Rev. Wright, before he recently retired, was a very mainstream and well-respected preacher & theologian - so much so, that he was invited to the White House for a religious breakfast function. It lends credence to Obama's words that there's more to this man than just a few sound-bites (why people don't automatically get that....i dunno).
It's sad that the media will only play up the "GOTCHA" aspect....

hic: Every Catholic knows that there have been problems with the Church. But, and its a big but. Every Catholic can leave his or her parish. Obama decided to stay with his pastor and I can only believe that he agreed with his leaders white person hatred.